Even though England was upset that the game didn’t end, because they were on the verge of their first ever whitewash in a series of at least three games in Australia, it did give Jos Buttler’s team some important clarity. On Saturday, October 22, Chris Woakes will likely be on the England team that will play Afghanistan in the World Cup.
T20 games that aren’t finished don’t even come to mind the next day, let alone the next week. Even so, after Jos Buttler led England to 112 for 2 in their short innings of 12 overs, Woakes’ two-over burst with the new ball at the Manuka Oval will be hard for England to forget. Woakes got rid of Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh with his first two balls. He did this by bowling with swing, a good length just a little bit shorter than it would be in England, and perfect accuracy.
In his next over, he caught Glenn Maxwell by hitting a slower ball that looked like a faster one. Woakes’ best ball, which he saved for Steve Smith, wasn’t even used in any of these three dismissals. Instead, his best ball was an 85 mph leg spinner that drew a shot from Smith and got him out.
Woakes “had it on a string there and maybe swung it more than anyone else in the series,” Australia’s captain, Aaron Finch, said. The Australia Time reports that, on average, Mitchell Starc had more swing than his opponent. Three wickets in two overs isn’t a lot, but Woakes still proved why England is so high on him. In addition, it demonstrated that Woakes had developed since a string of ailments had plagued him throughout the summer.
A wicket in Twenty20 is more valuable the sooner in the game it is taken. And despite his forced role in England’s T20 squad, Woakes is as well-prepared as any Englishman to take wickets with the new ball.
